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ORAL HISTORY
Ravi Pattepu
India Mart
Ravi Pattepu, born in 1993, hails from southern India. After attending school in Hyderabad, he moved to Utah, where a friend from southern India asked him to manage India Mart, a grocery store he owned in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2017, Pattepu moved to Bentonville to do just that.
Pattepu pays close attention to the needs of his customers. India Mart serves the large South Asian community of northwest Arkansas and beyond. He stocks fresh and frozen Indian produce, dry goods, and ready-made products that are difficult to find elsewhere. Many customers drive hours from neighboring states to get produce and dry goods. India Mart is open seven days a week, and Ravi is almost always in the store.